Axial-impact type of hand tool for removing dents from metal parts



June 21, 1960 A. E. MASON 2,

AXIAL-IMPACT TYPE OF HAND TOOL FOR REMOVING DENTS FROM METAL PARTS Filed July 23, 1957 IINVENTOR AlvieE.Mason ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,941,429 MP TTYP F O F R MOVINGDENTSFROM METAL PARTS Alvie E. Mason, Dallas, Text, assignor of one-half to RayJ. Warren, Dallas, Tex.

Filed July 22, 1957, Ser. No. 673,324 '2 Claims. (21. sir-=45 This invention relates to handv tools andsmore particularly to a hand toolfor. removi-ng den'ts 1 and the like from automobile bodies.

It is found that variousrnetal parts ofan automobile, such as door panels, are vulnerable to dents which form concave depressions ontheoutside'of such-part. The inside trim or upholstery of such partsmay; be removed only with difliculty-and'at the cost of considerable time and effort, such removal beingnecessaryiw-hen conventional tools are used to expose the convex surface ofthe dent in order that it maybe hammered orotherwise forced. outwardly to its original position 'by-. such conventional tools. It'is desirable therefore, that a hand tool be provided which will enable its operator to pullor otherwise force suchdented'part back to its'original position from the outside of the part whereby removal of the trimfrom the inside of the part is obviated.

Accordingly, .an'object -of-the invention is'to provide a new and improved hand tool-for-removingdents from automobile parts such as door panels and the like.

Another object is toiprovidea hand tool, of the type described above, which permits therepair. of concave depressions or dents from automobile parts without requiring theremoval of the inside :trim ofsuch parts:

Still another object is to provide a hand tool, of the type described above, whereinthe :tool'has means for attaching it. to the dented .metal part from theouts'id'e whereby an outwardly applied force exerted throug'hfth'e hand tool will effectuate therestoratitin of the dented portion of the metal .backto itsoriginakiiositioh;

A further object is to. provide v.a-hand tool, 'of'the type described above, which is provided at one end with a fastening means for securing such land to the dented portion and a means for imparting outwardly'directed shocks or forces to the hand tool.

A still further object is to provide a hand tool of the type described above, wherein the means for imparting outwardly directed shocks includes a mass slidably mounted for limited movement on the hand tool.

Another object is to provide a hand tool of the type described above, wherein the mass is of such outer configuration as to provide a non-slippable hand hold.

Still another object is to provide a hand tool, of the type described above, wherein the other end of the tool is provided with a hooked pull bar by means of which bent portions of a metal part may be restored to their original condition.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the reading of the following description of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to the accompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

In the drawing, Figure 1 is an exploded plan view of the hand tool embodying the invention;

Figure 2. is a plan view of the hand tool in its fully assembled condition;

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the pull bar; and,

cludes an elongate rod 11 having at one end a-threadedportion 12 which is received in athreaded bore 13' of a screw attachment member 14. The screw attachment member is provided at the end-adjacent the rod 11 with an external flange 15 which provides an annular stop shoulder lo whose purpose'will be described below.

The other end of the screw attachment member termi= nates in a reduced and threadedend portion 18 on which a pull screw nut 19 is threaded. The pull screw out has anannular inwardly extending flange 20 which is adapted to engage the annular shoulder 210i the headof a Phillips head screw 22 whose shank extendsthrough the annular aperture 23 formed bythe annular flange 2,9. It will be evident that the head of the-screw is thus held between the end of the screw attachment member 14 and the annular flange 2d of the pull screw nut 19.

The screw is held against rotation relative to'the' screw attachment member 14 by a driver member 25 Whose shank 25 is shrunk lit in a longitudinal bore 27 in the reduced end portion 18 of the scrw attachment member and is thus held against rotation relative thereto. The shank 26 could'be square or'of other non circular formif desired and in this case the bore 27' would have to be square in cross sectional or of other corresponding" noncircular form.

The'fluted end portion 28, of the same type as any Phillips screw driver, extends beyond the end o-f'the reduced end portion 18 to engage in the usual slots p'ro It will vided in the head of the-Phillips head screw 20. thus be'apparent that by use of the screw attachment member provided with the driver 25' and the pull screw nut 19,'a Phillips head-screw ZZ'm'ay'be detachably and-- non-r'otatably secured to the hand tool;

The other end portion 30- of the rod 11 is also threaded and 'is received in one end of an internally threaded; adapter 31, the other end 'ofwhich'is adapted to receive the threaded end of theshank '32 of a pull b21 33 whose other end'is provided with a hook 34 which'extends' perpendicularly from the I shank 33.

stop shoulder 16 0f the screw attachment member.

A mass or sleeve 38 is slidably-mounted on the rod 11 for longitudinal movement thereon and relative thereto, suclrmovement of the sleeve s8 being limitedby the stop shoulders 16 and "36, 1 respectively, of the screw attachment member 14 and-the adapter 31 which are adapted to engage the annular shoulders 39 and 40 of the external annular end flanges 41 and 42, respectively, of the sleeve 38. The external end flanges of the sleeve and the external grooves 44 of the sleeve, positioned between the external end flanges, provide a sure hand grip for the hand of the operator employing the hand tool.

In use, when a dent is to be removed from a door panel or other sheet metal part of an automobile, a hole is drilled at a point substantially at the center of the dent. The screw 22 is then threaded in the hole until the outer surface of the annular flange 20 abuts the metal part. The operator then grasps the mass or sleeve 38 and imparts repeated outward shocks, jars or forces to the metal part by moving the mass or sleeve 38 sharply and quickly from the position wherein the stop shoulder 39 of the sleeve abuts the stop shoulder 16 of the screw attachment member 14 toward the adapter 31. This movement is suddenly arrested by the engagement of the other stop shoulder 40 of the sleeve with the stop shoulder 36 of the adapter 31. Such blows delivered by the sleeve to the adapter of course result in sharp outward pulls or forces being imparted to the screw 22 The adapter 31' provides an. annular s'topshoulder 36 which faces theand therefore to the metal part to which the screw is secured. The portion of the part forming the dent is thus pulled out until the metal portion forming the dent is restored to its original position. The screw 22 is then unscrewed to detach the hand tool from the metal part and the hole in the metal part is filled with lead which is filed or otherwise smoothed off to provide a smooth surface to the metal part.

The sleeve is preferably of metal so that it has sulficient mass to have appreciable inertia so that the outward shocks are the result not only of the power of the arm of the operator but also of the inertia of the sleeve.

The screw 22 may be easily replaced as its threads get stripped or worn by unscrewing the pull screw nut 19 off the reduced threaded end portion 18 of the screw attachment member 14, removing the old screw and replacing it with a new one, and then again screwing the pull screw nut on the reduced threaded end portion.

The pull bar 33 may be used in the same manner to pull out dents, or, in folded portions of metal parts, by placing the book 34 behind the unfolded edge or portion and then imparting outward shocks or jolts to the pull bar by quickly moving the sleeve 38 from the position wherein the stop shoulder 40 of the sleeve abuts the shoulder 36 of the adapter until the other shoulder 39 of the sleeve abuts the shoulder 16 of the screw attachment member, its motion relative to the rod being stopped by such engagement. The pull bar 33 is thus seen to be usable where an opening or edge is available in a dented metal part to permit insertion of the hook behind the unfolded or undented portion of the metal part.

It will now be seen that a new and improved hand tool has been described and illustrated which includes a longitudinal member, such as the rod 10, having at one end a means 14 for non-rotatably securing a screw thereto and a hand grip member or sleeve 38 mounted on the longitudinal member for limited relative movement thereon. It will also be apparent that while the driver 25 is shown as adapted for a Phillips head screw, a single blade driver may be used to fit the single slot of the usual screw. It will also be seen that a means or adapter 31 is provided on the other end of the longitudinal member for rigidly securing thereto a pull bar 33 having a hook 34 thereon. It will also be seen that the hand grip member may be used to impart longitudinal outward shocks, jars or forces to the longitudinal member and thus to a metal part engaged either by the screw or the hook. It will also be apparent that the hand tool may be used to move dented portions of a metal part to their original positions without requiring access to the rear portion or side of such undented portions, which would require removal of the trim or upholstery disposed on such rear side of the dented portions.

It will also be seen that the hand grip member or sleeve 38 is provided with external annular end flanges 41 and 42, whereby a firm grip on such member is facilitated.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the type described including: a rod; a screw attachment member threaded on one end of said rod, said screw attachment member having an externally threaded outer end; a nut threaded on said outer end having an internally extending flange, whereby a screw may be held between the flange and the end of said screw attachment member; a mass longitudinally movable on said rod, said screw attachment member limiting movement of said mass in one direction on said rod; means on the other end of said rod limiting movement of said mass in the opposite direction on said rod; and driver means in said outer end of said screw attachment member for engaging in a head slot of a screw held by said nut for preventing rotation thereof relative to said rod.

2. A device of the type described including: a rod; a screw attachment member threaded on one end of said rod, said screw attachment member having an externally threaded outer end; a nut threaded on said outer end having an internally extending flange whereby a screw may be held between the flange and the end of said screw attachment member; driver means in said outer end of said screw attachment member for engaging in a head slot of a screw held by said nut for preventing rotation thereof relativeto said rod; :1 mass longitudinally movable on said rod, said screw attachment member limiting movement of said mass in one direction on said rod; and stop means on the other end of said rod limiting movement of said mass in the opposite direction on said rod, said stop means having means for connecting another operating tool to said rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,662,538 Richmond et al Mar. 13, 1928 2,466,845 Ghee et al. Apr. 12, 1949 2,503,426 Tower Apr. 11, 1950 2,605,658 Sanchez Aug. 5, 1952 2,622,781 Polson Dec. 23, 1952 2,779,089 Allen Jan. 29, 1957 2,791,926 Guyton May 14, 1957 2,799,190 Awot July 16, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 92,745 Switzerland Jan. 16, 1922 

